In My Mailbox (5): Monday 14 May 2012

Hello and welcome to the latest installment on In My Mailbox, which is a weekly meme originated by The Story Siren. It gives an opportunity to showcase the books we’ve acquired, by whatever means!

This week all mine are ebooks – including my first two ebook purchases!!

eBOOKS AUTHORS HAVE GIVEN ME TO REVIEW:

1. Shattered by Donna Ball

A missing teenage girl… a desperate mother… a frantic call in the night… is this a cruel hoax, or the work of a maniacal serial killer?

The peaceful resort town of St. Teresa-by-the-Sea on Florida’s Forgotten Coast is known for its low crime rate, pristine beaches, and great fishing. But tragedy can come even to Paradise, as Carol Dennison found out two and a half years ago when her fourteen-year-old daughter, Kelly, disappeared on her way to a Tallahassee concert. Now, just as Carol as beginning to rebuild the pieces of her shattered life, she receives a midnight call from someone who calls her “mama” and begs for help. Is this a cruel prank designed to terrorize and punish Kelly’s father for the role he played in bringing a recently paroled criminal to justice? Or is it possible that Kelly is still alive?

A grim investigation uncovers a connection between Kelly and other girls who have gone missing along the Gulf Coast in the past few years. When the body of one of those missing girls washes up on the shores of St. Teresa-by-the-Sea, the police are forced to admit they may have a serial killer in their midst. And with over three thousand college students poised to descend on the tiny community for spring break, their only hope for stopping him before he strikes again is the frightened voice of a teenage girl on the telephone… and the desperate determination of the parents who love her.

Shattered is Donna Ball at her best: spine-tingling terror, chilling realism and unforgettable characters. No parent will ever watch her child leave the house in the same way again.

Donna Ball was looking for people to review her latest book and kindly let me have a copy, which I have already read – review to follow. My RA has been playing up, so life’s been a bit painful lately and I’ve not been abe to do as much as I’ve had planned. Briefly: I recommend this book – click on the (lifted from Amazon!) image to take you to the Amazon page for the Kindle edition.

Unforgettable Embrace, by Joanne Clancy, is a story of a woman’s journey in self-discovery with many unexpected and often hilarious encounters along the way.

Rachel’s life has become a boring and monotonous routine. Life is just not what she expected it to be, so she decides to make some drastic but exciting changes.

A significant event occurs during a friend’s hen weekend, the seriousness of which wouldn’t be unveiled until later.

Tense moments arise that are suddenly and brutally made to look miniscule compared to the serious events, that unknown to Rachel, have already taken place, in which she is unwittingly but dangerously involved

Joanne had a weekend giveaway for Unforgettable Embrace, and I jumped at the opportunity to read this book having just finished Unfaithfully Yours.

How will romantic relationships withstand technology’s offer of instant gratification? While on his computer, Victor Hastings admires the provocative pictures of the girl he’s dating. Meanwhile, she’s posting more and more on Facebook and all the social sites. Now everyone in his cramped fraternity is competing for her. What kind of love is this? The wired kind.

I follow David’s blog and have been looking at his books for a while. Recently David offered Growing Up Wired foc on Smashwords for a weekend…well…I’m sure you’ve noticed what a sucker I am for a free book! I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing this book.

ebooks i have bought

Avalin Marsh is used to disappointment. When her mother murdered a woman in the kitchen of her home on her eleventh birthday, Avalin decided that the people in your life were only there to let you down. She built up walls over the years making a mental fortress impervious to disappointment, heartache and sadness. However it also isolated her from others, making her bitter… and lonely.

When her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the murder, Avalin began to see and experience things that she couldn’t explain. She thought she could handle these episodes by pushing them back into her mind. Until the day she sees one of her classmates morph into a monster right in front of her eyes. Pushed to the brink of paranoia, Avalin truly believes she’s insane. Then a mysterious man named Albert comes into her life. She’s wary of his motives yet for some reason finds herself drawn to him even though they’ve never met. What’s even more inexplicable is that Albert knows who Avalin is. She’s the daughter of the famous Abigail Marsh. Her mother.

Now the two of them will need to put their differences aside and trust one another. If Avalin can’t let her guard down long enough to let Albert in, then there might be dire and far reaching consequences in store for them.

It turns out Avalin Marsh isn’t as crazy as she thought.

I bought this, my first paid for ebook (!!) because I didn’t win it on First Reads and really wanted to read it. My good blogging friend, Daisy Chain did win a copy…I’m sure she’ll be reviewing it soon too! I have actually finished reading this, and the review joins my list of “Reviews to Written…Soon!”

Just when everything around Jaime Williams starts to cave in and, when it looks like the economy has claimed another victim. She takes a job as a last resort at the local diner. Scarlett’s will have you cheering for all that is good in this world. She builds some amazing relationships along the way and Jaime’s solace comes in the help and encouragement that she gives to those closest to her. When a friend stumbles upon some writings in an old binder under her bed while helping her move, the world that Jaime once knew is about to change… Karma is a wonderful thing!

I bought this because the reviews on Amazon were gushing. I’m about three-quarters of the way through and I’m not impressed.

………….

Five more books added to my TBR, of which I have already read two and a half! I think a “No Reading” rule will be in force for a couple of weeks while I catch up with my reviewing!
Have a great week’s reading – be sure to leave a link to your IMM in your comment 🙂